A TV documentary about the supermarket Lidl – featuring Graham Soult from Gateshead-based CannyInsights.com as one of its expert “talking heads” – has proved an unlikely Netflix smash.
Released on the platform on Friday 21 June, the show “24 Hours in Lidl” has peaked at number 2 in the Netflix UK film chart – held off the top spot only by the Jessica Alba action movie “Trigger Warning”.
Filmed in spring last year, the programme charts a day in the life of the supermarket giant’s successful UK business, from the producers who supply its stores prior to opening, to the markdowns that can be found towards closing time.
Drawing insights throughout from a pool of retail and consumer experts, the show also explores topics such as Lidl’s impressive logistics, its quirky own-label ranges, and the secrets of the famous “Middle of Lidl” aisle.
Created by independent production company Honey Bee, based in Bristol, the programme was originally made for and broadcast on Channel 5 in November 2023, where it was promoted as “Lidl: Behind the Scenes 24/7”, and can still be watched on My5 catch-up.
However, the release on Netflix has brought the show to a whole new audience, and follows the success of two previous Honey Bee productions featuring Graham – “Inside Greggs 24/7” and “24 Hours in Tesco” – which made the similar transition from Channel 5 to the top ten most-watched on Netflix.
Graham Soult said:
“I was delighted when Honey Bee got in touch with me last year, and I was very happy to play my small part in helping create these fun but informative shows, appearing on camera alongside some of my biggest retail expert friends.
“Seeing Honey Bee’s team at work I was able to appreciate quite how much research and effort goes into making a factual programme like “24 Hours in Lidl”. I filmed my contributions for the Tesco and Lidl shows back to back, and we ended up with more than three hours of footage of me alone – what you see on screen is very much the edited highlights!
“Anyone who follows me on social networks or in the media will know that I’m all about telling positive and uplifting stories around retail, so it’s always a pleasure to be involved in programmes like this that celebrate and explain the success of some of our most well-known retail names.
“As I note in the show, Lidl is one of the biggest investors in UK suppliers – and a good employer of more than 33,000 people in this country – so I hope the programme has given people some useful and interesting insights into how and why Lidl has grown to become one of Britain’s favourite stores.
“Some people always like to obsess about everything that is closing, but the message of a show like this is that we can be proud of the many retailers that are opening stores, creating jobs, and investing in our communities.”
